Dennis Mitcheltree

Born in Milwaukee, Mitcheltree’s initial musical instrument was the oboe, picking up the saxophone at age 12. After high school he received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, studying with Billy Pierce, Joe Viola and George Garzone. After two years at Berklee he moved to Japan and performed there for four months before returning to Boston to continue his musical studies.While at Berklee he formed the first version of the Dennis Mitcheltree Quartet, performing original compositions and jazz standards at jazz clubs in Boston including Ryles, the 1369 Jazz Club and the Willow. He graduated magna cum laude from Berklee in 1987 and received a scholarship to continue his musical studies at New York University, studying with Joe Lovano, Ralph Lalama and Jim McNeely.Upon his graduation from Berklee, Mitcheltree put together the New York City version of his group and has maintained the same personnel since 1992(with Johannes Wallmann joining the group in 1996). His quartet has been touring North American and European jazz festivals, clubs and concert halls.Mitcheltree has performed with Gary Bartz, Kenny Werner, George Cables, Ron Mathews, James Williams, Howard Johnson, Pete Yellin, Jim McNeely, Charli Persip, Bob Moses, Billy Tayor, Clark Terry and others. His composition for jazz sextet and string quartet, Suite No. 1, was presented at Carnegie Hall in 1995. Composer of approximately 90 compositions from 1983-present, including a work for chamber orchestra, Reflections:Parts I, II, and III, many have been featured on his released audio and video recordings as a leader. Mitcheltree has also composed for film, including documentaries and fiction.Dennis Mitcheltree is the Artistic Director of the American Music Group, a non-profit musician/composer organization which presents jazz performances throughout the New York City area, including the critically acclaimed INFLUENCES concert series at Carnegie Hall. He was a Meet The Composer award winner in 2004, an Alternate Finalist for the 1996 International Jazz Saxophone Competition and a Eubie Blake Award recipient. Mitcheltree has also received grant awards from the New York State Council on the Arts and the Brooklyn Arts Council. He has been instrumental in founding the internet based music and recording companies, dennismitcheltree.com and americanmusicgroup.org.A clinician at colleges and for jazz education programs worldwide, Mitcheltree also teaches privately and at New York University, the New School University and the Greenwich House Music School in New York City. He has been a panelist for the Jazz Journalist’s Association, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Jazz Fellowship program and the Brooklyn Arts Council Regrant Program.